Analyst: iPhone Sales to Surpass 100 Million by 2011

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Analyst: iPhone Sales to Surpass 100 Million by 2011

Apple said during its iPhone 4 keynote last week that 100 million iOS devices have already been sold, and that includes the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. As if that's not enough, the iPhone itself is expected to hit nine digits by the end of 2011, a Wall Street analyst estimates.

"We see the iPhone installed base rising from approximately 30 million subscribers at the end of 2009 to over 100 million by the end of 2011," said Katy Huberty, a Morgan Stanley analyst.

Why the spike in sales? Upgrades, says Huberty. That's plausible analysis, because Apple's upcoming iOS 4 will only fully support Apple's newer iOS devices. The original iPhone can't run the OS at all, and the iPhone 3G won't be able to use iOS 4's highlight feature, multitasking. If you own the first iPhone, the major minus is not being able to use new apps made for iOS 4, so an upgrade almost seems necessary.

Plus, Apple's iPhone 4 is the most compelling upgrade for the handset yet. With double the memory capacity of older iOS devices, a faster processor, a higher-resolution screen and a front-facing camera and a brandnew glass body, the iPhone 4 already makes last year's iPhone 3GS look like an iThing of the past.